Realistic or Modern Summoning Trouble [Closed]

[Tarmagon]

The young woman heaved what seemed a long suffering sigh as he spoke, but then focused in upon his words as he laid the grimoire between them. Once he had finished speaking, she raised one finger then departed the room, heading into another part of her dwelling, her, apartment? yes, that was the word. Faint rummaging sounds reached his ears a few moments later and continued for several minutes. Eventually the sounds ceased, and the young woman reappeared, placing a worn looking book beside the grimoire.

She appeared to speak, but K'ylenthar couldn't make out what she was saying. Before he could ask, she raised her voice and spoke to him directly.

"As far as my name, it's Esme," she said.

K'ylenthar nodded, but said nothing as she cleared her throat and began to study the grimoire intently. After a few moments, she placed two fingers atop the book she had brought back with her, and K'ylenthar mirrored her gesture. Taking a deep breath, Esme began to speak the words he had highlighted.

"Offerre linguae meae et ego te intellectus." she said, her pronunciation surprisingly clear. "Intellectum tibi dabo tibi."

As the first of the words left Esme's mouth, K'ylenthar could feel power begin to flow. The flow intensified, then, as the book began to glow, the flow of power became a torrent of knowledge. Concepts for which he didn't have words suddenly flooded K'ylenthar's mind, then the words appeared, attaching themselves to images that popped into his head like a demented slideshow. A slideshow?! What was a slideshow? Oh... that. On and on the words, the concepts, the images came. If felt as though he were drowning in knowledge that would never end, but it ended so abruptly that it nearly stunned him insensate.

"Is that it?"

K'ylenthar opened eyes that he didn't remember closing to find the young woman, Esme, moving her shoulders as though they itched.

"I'd say you nailed it in one," K'ylenthar replied, a look of horror crossing his features as his own words registered. "What in the HELL have you people done to the English language?"

K'ylenthar clapped a hand over his mouth, his eyes wide. What had she done to him? But... she had done her best, as had he. The Bargain was fulfilled.

"Never mind," he said, lowering his hand. "You have kept your end of the Bargain. I say the Debt is paid in full."

As the words left his mouth, he felt the rush of power as one of the threads that bound him and Esme together snapped, part withdrawing to him, part to her.

"Well, we know that worked." he said dryly.

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
( "What in the HELL have you people done to the English language?" - K'ylenthar 2017 )

"What in the HELL have you people done to the English language?"

Esme's body trembled as she tried to keep herself from busting out laughing at K'ylenthar reaction and expressions after the spell had finished. That effort failed when he clapped his hand over his mouth and she laughed lightly. It was fairly amusing to see him so unsettled over it, she was also severely glad - though somewhat still tempted - that she didn't use her laptop after all. If he thought common English from the dictionary was bad, he'd had been furious if he could only speak like he lived on the internet.

"If you think a dictionary is bad, you'd be terrified at netspeak and textspeak. Those are an entire language on their own, and don't even get me started on slang."

Esme cringed slightly as the prickly feeling on her back changed more to a burning sensation. It didn't feel like a sunburn and it wasn't like she had been outside recently to even get sunburnt. It wasn't pleasant and she began to worry it had something to do with casting the spells. She narrowed her eyes at K'ylenthar in suspicion for a moment as the burning got worse. She was clearly experiencing discomfort and pain. .

"You didn't sneak anything strange into that last thing did you?" she asked through gritted teeth. "It feels like my back has a chemical burn or something. Did I mess up the spell or something?"

 

[Tarmagon]

"You didn't sneak anything strange into that last thing did you?"

K'ylenthar looked at Esme, his eyebrows rising. Was she trying to piss him... Oh goddess, he was already starting to think in this modern language.

"Lady Esme," he said firmly. "I did not 'sneak' anything into YOUR spellcraft. The literal translation of the invocation is '
The understanding of my tongue, I will offer to thee.' and 'I will inform you.' The intent, as framed by the words was 'I offer you my language and I give you understanding.' Anything else would have come from your mind."

K'ylenthar's irritation faded as Esme grimaced. Her back must be seriously bothering her.

"It feels like my back has a chemical burn or something. Did I mess up the spell or something?" she asked.

K'ylenthar took stock of his limited remaining resources as he began to take a step towards Esme, but he froze in mid-step as concepts and understanding blossomed in his mind. Fear. She feared him, and mistrusted his intentions. Despite his knowledge of the Rules binding them, she had no idea, no exposure to Magic and its exacting rules and consequences. Despite the perfection of her spellcraft, that was most likely only the second spell she had ever cast, and despite the evidence before her, she probably didn't believe, not deep in her core.

"No, Esme." he said gently, trying as hard as he could to project certainly and reassurance. "You performed the spell perfectly. One of the, threads is I suppose the best word, threads that bound us together is satisfied, and the small portion of the Power it contained has been returned to us both. I don't sense anything that could be causing you pain. May... may I approach and examine your back? On my world I have something of a reputation as a healer."

K'ylenthar remained frozen where he was, trying to appear as non-threatening as he could. Whatever was hurting Esme appeared to be getting worse. He had no idea whether or not he was to blame, but he was absolutely certain that he was going to do his best to help her, if she would allow it.

Fable (Sorry, forgot to tag you earlier.)

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon

She found it hard to trust anything K'ylenthar said right now with the pain searing through her back. She closed her eyes tightly wondering when it would stop. If this is what was going to happen with any continued deals or magic she was not interested in doing them. He had said there were issues with the summoning spell she had recited from, was it something to do with that? If that was the case, was there any way to fix it or was this just going to get worse with each deal they agreed to?

"I don't sense anything that could be causing you pain. May... may I approach and examine your back? On my world I have something of a reputation as a healer."

His tone wasn't as harsh as earlier now and while he had healed her cut from earlier, that ever wary part of her didn't want to let him anywhere close since all this had only started happening when he appeared. However, if this was magic-related, it wasn't like she could go to the hospital for help... or that she even had the health insurance to go to the hospital. She opened her eyes and looked at K'ylenthar directly trying to determine the amount of threat he posed currently. His stance wasn't threatening and he hadn't tried to get any closer to her since he stopped.

"Fine," she muttered through gritted teeth. She would had added a threat if she wasn't busy trying to make it appear a lot less painful than it actually was. She focused on trying to breath evenly through her nose and slowly turned so that her back was facing him. She lifted the back of her top up, careful to ensure the front of her body wasn't exposed as well. On her back wasn't something normal by any means, it was a strange circle with what looked like runic characters. The symbol itself was raised almost like as if it were dermatographia. He would need to get a closer look to see if anything within the writing was something familiar, though the knowledge of the circle itself was on the tip of K'ylenthar's tongue.

He stepped closer and studied the markings on Esme's back. Cautiously, he moved to lightly touch the afflicted area and felt were he had been in physical contact burn horribly, causing him to jerk his hand away as if he had been struck by a viper.

Spoiler

 

[Tarmagon]

"Fine," Esme muttered through gritted teeth.

The markings, so familiar, but not quite right. Maybe if he touched...

"What the fuck?!" K'ylenthar exclaimed as the sigil etched into Esme's back scorched his fingers as thoroughly as an iron fresh from the smith's forge. He didn't even notice that he had used the phrase Esme had repeated when he first appeared, instead continuing to stare at the sigil as he waved his scorched fingers in an attempt to cure the metaphysical and physical burning.

As the burning sensation faded, K'ylenthar leaned forward once more, tracing the runes within the sigil with a finger held carefully away from Esme's back.

"Banna," he muttered. "Verja af sik. Ofreflismaòr.... skilja? Gæta."

It struck K'ylenthar like a thunderbolt. A Sealing. Esme had been Sealed. Only the worst of the worst, or the most stupid of criminals were Sealed. Well, no, that was not accurate. Someone who had mindstorms could be Sealed for the protection of all about them. All it took was to remove the runes of punishment and consequence.

"I," he started to say, then stopped to gather his thoughts. After a moment, he continued.

"I have seen something, similar to what you bear on your back," he said, careful to keep his voice calm and level even as his mind digested what he was seeing with fresh understanding. "On my world, there are those without the proper, control? mindset? motivation? Damn, so many words to choose from. Ah, ability, either from temperament, or lack of skill, to properly master their Magic. Those who let the Magic control them, rather than control the Magic, are Sealed. Separated from their power. Those who have abused their Magic are Sealed with runes of punishment and consequence, so that if they attempt to circumvent the controls placed on them, the consequences will be swift and painful, if not fatal. Those who are innocent, but unable to control their Magic are merely separated from their power, though if they can learn proper control or be cured of what ails them, the procedure can be reversed."

K'ylenthar paused to closely examine one section of the sigil that seemed, off. The wording wasn't quite right. No consequences, so this wasn't a criminal Sealing, at least not as his people would use. The syntax wasn't anything he understood, but protection and suppression. Not a full severing.

"This is almost like someone wanted to, protect you from ever using Magic. I can't tell how old this is, nor who made it, though the scriber had much skill, there are flaws. It was these flaws that permitted you to successfully cast both the Summoning and the Gifting spells, and now the Sealing is reacting to your use of Magic..."

K'ylenthar stepped back, and examined the concepts and ideas that still whirled in the back of his mind. He was quite certain that Esme wasn't getting most of what he was saying, and he had to try and make her understand. Maybe.

"Let's try this," he said, putting the concepts together in his head. "You are, and always have been, a witch. At some time in your past, someone put a magical circuit-breaker onto you to prevent you ever discovering this. Your drunken reading of the spell to summon me closed the circuit-breaker, allowing you to use your magic. The spell to give me your language overloaded the breaker, and it's overheated, so your back is burning."

K'ylenthar wasn't sure how long the effect would last, but he also wasn't sure what he could do to help. Magic directed at the sigil would only make things worse, but he had managed to heal Esme's hand, and cure her drunkenness. So, he couldn't heal away a Sealing, but since the pain wasn't an intended effect, could he?

"I, may be able to help with the discomfort." he said slowly. "At least for a few minutes. If you allow, I can, interrupt the flow of the pain from your senses. I am weak, so it will only last minutes at most. I offer this of my own free will, without thought for, or expectation of, repayment."

Fable

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon

Esme found it increasingly hard to focus on what was going on around her, including what K'ylenthar was saying. It sounded foreign and unfamiliar. She was breaking out into a light sweat now as she stood there rigidly, trying to keep on her feet even though all she wanted to do was jump into a tub of ice water. It felt like she was being branded slowly and each pulse of her heart sent out a new wave of heat to her back.

She struggled to listen to K'ylenthar through the pain. He said something about a Sealing, criminals, protection, and flaws. If she wasn't in so much pain she would have told him to skip the lesson and just fix the problem right now. He could always ramble about what exactly the cause was after she wasn't about to pass out. He went on to try and explain it in layman's terms saying that someone at some point had basically gone through some trouble to try and keep her from using magic, and that her using magic has triggered a reaction. So now she had another issue in that some mysterious person had cast a spell on her at some point and she had no idea why.

"I, may be able to help with the discomfort. At least for a few minutes. If you allow, I can, interrupt the flow of the pain from your senses. I am weak, so it will only last minutes at most. I offer this of my own free will, without thought for, or expectation of, repayment."

"O-Only for a few minutes? What would be the point then if it doesn't stop?" she stuttered out with a bit of viciousness, not really directed at him, but just at her situation.

She was scared of what letting him try would result in. The last thing she wanted was for things to get worse since she wasn't sure she could take much more. He already said he was weak and she didn't know what would happen if he tried to stop the pain. The last thing she needed or wanted was for him to be at risk of passing out as well. Fuck the pros and cons, she just wanted it to stop.

"Do it," she said with a slight nod of her head.

K'ylenthar didn't waste time and proceeded to try and cast his spell to nullify the pain, hopefully long enough so that the pain from the seal would subside by the time the spell ended. It backfired, literally. Before he even had a chance to finish the spell, a strong force repelled the magic that was supposed to go towards Esme. The Seal was preventing Esme from using any magic and because of this reaction, it was preventing magic from being used on her as well.

For Esme, it was like something had just sort of switched her off the moment he tried, she just mentally shut down and fell unconscious the moment the spell backfired. The Seal that had been 'overheating' - as K'ylenthar put it - had seemed to act like a surge protector and knocked Esme out and her body crumpled to the floor. However, once it was over, the Seal on her back was beginning to already fade away as if it had never been there. The silence of the apartment was now interrupted by a muffled chiming sound. Under one of the pillows on the futon was Esme's phone, brightly lit with the caller ID stating 'Mom.'

 

[Tarmagon]

"Goddess!" K'ylenthar snarled as his spell recoiled before a wave of energy blasting out from the Seal on Esme's back. "Nether blasted and never to be sufficiently damned Mage who crafted this, abomination, pray that I never meet you."

His tirade cut off abruptly as Esme slumped bonelessly to the floor, the sigil on her back fading away before his eyes. K'ylenthar stared for a single moment, then moved quickly, wondering where the sudden sound of chimes was coming from, but putting it from his mind in the face of immediate need. He scooped Esme up from where she lay upon the floor, gently tugging her top back down to protect her modesty. Casting about, he decided that the low...ah, futon, that was the word, would be the best place for the unconscious young woman. Brushing a pillow aside to make room, he was startled as the chiming increased in volume when the odd device that Esme had been using earlier dropped to the floor, its face alight as it chimed insistently. A cell phone, a device used to make calls.

Ignoring the phone, K'ylenthar laid Esme upon the futon, settling her as best he could. The chiming from the damned cell phone hadn't ceased, in fact it was growing louder. Snarling, K'ylenthar grabbed the device and jabbed at the glowing face in an attempt to silence the infernal device. Only the fact that it belonged to Esme saved the device from being crushed under his heel, but just as he was seriously considering dealing the device that fate, he touched something that silenced the chiming.

"Thank the goddess," he breathed as the chiming stopped.

Suddenly a female voice erupted from the phone.

"Esme?! What happened?!", it demanded, worry evident in every syllable.

K'ylenthar stared at the device in his hand. He knew what was happening, but he really didn't understand.

"Esme?!" the voice repeated, and K'ylenthar made a decision. Holding the device in front of his face, he spoke to it as he would to another person.

"Lady Esme cannot address you," he said clearly. "She is, indisposed."

Fable

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
( The conversation on the phone is just what he can hear Esme saying in response. He might hear the tone of Esme's mother's words, but not what is actually being said. )

"Lady Esme cannot address you. She is, indisposed."

There was a brief pause in response to K'ylenthar reply.

"Who are you? What have you done to Esme?" the woman asked angrily.

Esme groaned and her eyes fluttered open as she tried to get her vision to focus. Her whole body ached and felt sore, not like she had gone to the gym kind of soreness, but rather that she had taken a hard fall. She tried to sit up quickly once she realized her back no longer felt like it was aflame and winced. She remembered giving K'ylenthar the go-ahead for trying to stop the pain, but after that there was pretty much a blackout. She'd had a few bad falls in her life before and the pain she was feeling now was familiar.

She brushed her hair out of her face and looked over at K'ylenthar's figure. Her eyes widened at she saw him using her phone and she scrambled over to snatch it away from him. She looked at the screen and saw it was a call from her mother and the time. It was in the early a.m. and well before her mother would have even been awake, so why she was calling her at this time was strange. Esme would have to talk to K'ylenthar about not answering her phone later since right now she was going to have to try and come up with a lie to explain why he had answered her phone. She turned off the speakerphone and held the device up to her ear.

"Oh hey mom, why are you calling so late?"

"Oh, uh, I'm at some party and left my phone with a friend since I didn't have any pockets to put it in."

"No no no, I'm fine I promise-"

"It's the middle of the semester, I can't just not go to my classes and-"

"I don't understand why you're asking me this all of a sudden."

Esme groaned in frustration as her mother continued to pressure her. It would be hard enough to get time off from work, but to take off from her courses as well would also cause her some problems. Eventually she caved and told her mother that she would take some time off and go home to see her as soon as she could. She also said that Esme should be careful and that she didn't trust the person who had answered her phone. They said their goodbyes and Esme pressed the button to end the call before glaring at K'ylenthar.

"Never, ever, answer my phone without my permission. Was me passing out part of the spell because while waking up not feeling like I'm on a grill is nice and all, I'd also like to be sure not to gain a concussion."

 

[Tarmagon]

K'ylenthar was feeling just a bit dizzied by the rapid course of events, but he decided to address the things he could.

"To begin Esme, " he said levelly, "It was not my intention to answer your phone at all, merely to get it to stop making that annoying noise so I could concentrate on helping you. Second, while I would love to take credit for your back no longer burning, I cannot. When I cast my spell, it was repelled, rather violently, by the sigil on your back. You passed out when that happened. If I had to guess, from mage shock. Someone has done something rather, unpleasant, to you, whether by chance or by design, I cannot yet tell."

A wave of dizziness swept over K'ylenthar as he spoke, reminding him of his expenditures of power. Looking around, he settled for collapsing into a chair that sat an easy distance from the futon.

"Look, " he said. "Neither of us really has a clue about what's going on here. Now that I have your modern words, let me tell you how this all looks from my perspective. I was walking around the orchard at my home when of of nowhere I get this damned itch in the back of my head..."

K'ylenthar spent the next several minutes detailing his actions and reactions, and the reason for them, to Esme. He was brutally honest, both about his initial opinion of the young woman, and about what he saw as his own screw ups in this odd situation. He tried to keep the mage speak to an absolute minimum, only resorting to it when he couldn't figure out parallels in the modem language.

"So, there you have it. " he finished a bit later. "That is how this appeared, appears, from my perspective. Now we're stuck together for the duration. Until we figure out this Sealing on you, I don't think I should attempt magic on you unless it is a life or death situation. I'm willing to try to satisfy the terms of the Pact, but I'm not sure how the fulfillment of the bargains will affect you. I do not wish to cause you pain. Unlike some of my brethren, I do not enjoy such acts. For now, may I hear tonight's adventures from your point of view? "

Fable

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(You can post for him, and I can do a time skip afterwards to when Liz wakes up and sees him on the futon.)

Esme sighed as she used one of her hands to rub her face as she tried to calm herself down. The last person she would have ever allowed him to speak to would have been her mother. However, the damage was done and now she had to work in just accepting that fact and trying to figure out a way to visit her mother. She set her phone screen-down on the 'coffee table' and sat back down on the futon. She listened to K'ylenthar explain he had been trying to turn off her phone, and then realized he'd probably only been given the definition of what it was and not how it functioned, so now she felt a bit like a mega-bitch. Her brows furrowed when he told her the spell had been repelled and that something called 'mage shock' might've knocked her out.

She looked at him quizzically as he flopped down into the chair. He looked tired and he had mentioned earlier that he was weak, so he probably just wanted to rest right now. She honestly would have been dead asleep about this time and honestly just wanted to crawl into her bed. She was beyond the point of hoping this was all a fucked up dream, but she also just wasn't ready for having to deal with K'ylenthar 's presence. She listened to him speak and now that he wasn't speaking using ancient words, she actually was able to understand things a bit better.

"Not sure even in a life or death situation it would be a good idea," she mumbled to herself about the use of magic in regards to this Seal thing.

"As far as things from my perspective? I'll give you a too-long-didn't-read version, my life was a normal mess and then my new-age hippie roommate had to bring in an actual grimoire that had working spells and now my life is a shitshow. I don't even know how I am going to explain your presence to her. The moment she finds out I accidentally summoned you... oh god, there is not enough alcohol I can drown myself in right now to deal with that."

Esme groaned as she imagined Liz's reaction to the news.

"I can't even think of a decent lie to tell her either. I'm not going to bother trying to say you're my boyfriend since she knows I'm single. She knows basically all my friends, so she would know you don't fall into that category. Might just have to rip the band-aid off since I'm not going to ask you to manipulate her memories or anything like that."

She rubbed her eyes and decided to just try and sleep, though it wasn't likely that she would.

"Look, I am going to go to bed. You can use the futon out here to rest. There are pillows and blankets in the hallway closet you can use. If you're accosted by my roommate before I return, all I can say is good luck."

With that Esme got up, grabbed her phone and went into her bedroom, closing the door behind her. She didn't even bother changing her clothes, she just plugged her charger into her phone and then flopped down onto her bed. Her mind was overloaded with thoughts and hypotheticals, so she laid there for some time before eventually falling asleep.

 

[Tarmagon]

K'ylenthar listened to Esme's rather brief recounting of the events of the evening from her perspective, but was unable to glean even the smallest fragment of understanding from it. The only information that might be useful was that the grimoire was not, in fact, Esme's. Unfortunately, he rather doubted that this 'Liz', whom he surmised was the one carried out of the room in a drunken stupor earlier, would have any useful information for him. In fact, Esme's next words confirmed this.

"I can't even think of a decent lie to tell her either. I'm not going to bother trying to say you're my boyfriend since she knows I'm single. She knows basically all my friends, so she would know you don't fall into that category. Might just have to rip the band-aid off since I'm not going to ask you to manipulate her memories or anything like that."

Before K'ylenthar could mention that he considered the manipulation of memories on an unwilling subject to be unconscionable, Esme continued.

"Look, I am going to go to bed. You can use the futon out here to rest. There are pillows and blankets in the hallway closet you can use. If you're accosted by my roommate before I return, all I can say is good luck."

Esme made her way quickly out of the room, leaving K'ylenthar to his own devices. Moving into the kitchen area, he very quietly opened every drawer and cabinet, looking at their contents, but not touching, to better cement the words and items together in his mind. The cabinet containing various items his new knowledge identified as foodstuffs was, different. Dried and preserved foods he was familiar with, but this level of preserving was, unnatural. Also, the contents of the refrigerator were, unexpected. Some things were identifiable, but some, some looked like what he washed out of his reagent bottles in his lab when things went poorly.

Eschewing the blankets and pillows, K'ylenthar examined the futon for a moment before divining its functioning. A simple pull, and it became a decent sized flat surface. Interesting. Removing the shoes that his magic had crafted, K'ylenthar settled into the center of the futon, sitting cross-legged in the meditation position that he had learned so long ago. Despite remaining upright, his body relaxed as his eyes closed, the trance state coming with the ease of long practice. His senses narrowed and expanded, the physical world fading away as the mystical overlay came into focus. The power was, different here, but he could recharge from it. Letting his mind drift as the power began to slowly refill his reservoir, K'ylenthar let the words and concepts given to him drift and link together, examining them unconsciously and letting them associate with ideas and concepts already familiar to him as the time drifted by, unnoticed.

Fable
(This should be, interesting.)

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(H'okay, back to posting~ Sorry it's short, want to give him a chance to react.)

Around nine in the morning - well past the sunrise - Liz's phone alarm blared loudly; so loudly it could be slightly heard throughout the small apartment. The alarm was soon silenced and a short moment later a drowsy and hungover Liz emerged from her room. She yawned widely and rubbed her eyes as she sleepily shuffled towards the kitchen, not yet noticing the stranger sitting silently on the futon. Once in the kitchen she went through the motions to fill the coffee brewer with water, place the filter, fill the filter with ground coffee, and turned the appliance on. She lazily stretched out her arms and groaned unhappily about her throbbing skull.

She yawned once more and turned to look into the living room expecting to be greeted by the mess created from last night's drinking, instead she found a weird guy sitting on the futon.

"W-Who the hell are you?!" she shrieked, grabbing a metal spatula from one of the drawers and wielding it defensively.

Esme abruptly woke up at Liz's loud voice and nearly fell out of her bed trying to get up quickly in her barely awake state. She stumbled across her bedroom and fumbled to unlock the door. By the time she opened the door, she saw Liz getting ready to throw the spatula at K'ylenthar.

"Liz, stop," Esme managed to say just as the 'weapon' left Liz's grasp as it was thrown. Thankfully Liz had horrible aim as it whizzed right past K'ylenthar and stopped when it impacted against the wall, leaving a small dent in the sheetrock.

"Before you assault me with questions, I'm getting come coffee," Esme said as she headed into the kitchen. Once she had her mug filled with her coffee concoction, she took an appreciative sniff before taking a few sips of the hot brew.

"The short version of how this person came to be in our apartment is that the spell you selected last night was apparently real. After you passed out, I was joking around and he appeared in the apartment."

Liz actually gave Esme a skeptical frown, the girl who stated she believed this witchcraft stuff worked was now actually doubting Esme's story. Ironic.

 

[Tarmagon]

K'ylenthar felt someone moving about in the apartment, but the awareness wasn't enough to bring him out of his trance state. After some moments of puttering around in the kitchen though, the person became aware of his presence on the futon, and from the reaction it garnered, the person was NOT Esme.

"W-Who the hell are you?!" a voice shrieked, and K'ylenthar's eyes popped open to see the girl Esme had carried from the room last night wielding a kitchen implement as though it were a weapon.

Amusement held him in place as he strove not to laugh. This must be 'Liz' and she looked far the worse for wear after her evening of drinking.

"Liz, stop," came Esme's voice, but that seemed to startle Liz, and her makeshift weapon flew through the air, spinning harmlessly past K'ylenthar to thud against the wall behind the futon.

"Before you assault me with questions, I'm getting come coffee," Esme said as she moved into the kitchen, preparing a cup of something his new knowledge called coffee. After taking a sip, she turned to Liz and spoke.

"The short version of how this person came to be in our apartment is that the spell you selected last night was apparently real. After you passed out, I was joking around and he appeared in the apartment."

The look Liz gave Esme was not what K'ylenthar would call, accepting of the situation. After a moments consideration, K'ylenthar decided that if Esme wanted this Liz to accept who and what he was, and also to keep his presence here, discreet, a little, what was the words these moderns used? oh yes, shock and awe might be in order.

Rising from the futon in one fluid motion, K'ylenthar beckoned to the metal implement which had been hurled his way, and it flew obediently to his hand. Turning back to Liz, he stepped carefully into the kitchen, and placed the spatula on the counter, then stepped back to give himself some space.

"I would appreciate it if you would refrain from throwing more kitchen utensils my way Liz," he said carefully. If you had actually struck me, well, that might have upset me."

As he spoke, he let his combat form rise to the surface. Before he had finished speaking, he towered over the young women, featureless face looking down on them even as his voice stayed even and calm. He spread his wings slightly, careful not to strike anything with them, then continued in that calm, even voice.

"Things tend to happen when I get upset," he said, reversing the transformation. In mere moments he stood before them in his human guise, clothing reformed and looking as though he hadn't been a creature out of their nightmares an instant before. "And we wouldn't want me to get upset now, would we?"

Sniffing, he decided that this 'coffee' bore further investigation.

"Lady Esme," he said formally. "Would you mind if I tried some of that?" he gestured at the coffee pot. "When I was here last, humanity hadn't quite mastered the art of proper roasting of, well, you call it coffee beans, on my world we call it kaffeya. I wonder if we imported it from your world."

Fable
(Hope I don't give Liz a heart attack.)

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(Lol, he had to go and transform.)

Liz's head lowered slightly with Esme's explanation and she inhaled deeply. She was clearly not in the mood to deal with this first thing in the morning and suffering from a hangover. She opened her mouth a few times to try and say something to Esme, but each time she stalled and shook her head as she struggled to figure out what exactly she wanted to say. Just as her mouth opened once again, K'ylenthar's movement caught her eye and she glanced over at him as he summoned the spatula she had just thrown across the room. As it floated over into his grasp, Liz's mouth stayed open and she backed away and moved to put Esme between herself and K'ylenthar as he entered the kitchen.

"I would appreciate it if you would refrain from throwing more kitchen utensils my way Liz. If you had actually struck me, well, that might have upset me."

"W-Wha..." Liz started.

As he transformed, even Esme found herself fearful of his monstrous form and her heart pumped uneasily as adrenaline began to course through her body. Liz cowered behind her, peeking over Esme's shoulder at the winged beast in their apartment, completely terrified with her eyes watering and tears ready to spill.

"Things tend to happen when I get upset. And we wouldn't want me to get upset now, would we?"

Esme closed her hands into tight fists and glared at him harshly, "You went beyond what was necessary, y'know? I also don't appreciate you making threats, especially after you swore on - what was it - on pain of consequences you not act against my interests. Well that whole transformy thing is currently against my interests, so I'd prefer if you refrained from doing it again unless it's absolutely needed, which in this modern era I doubt it is."

She licked her lips and crossed her arms over her chest trying to act like he hadn't scared her along with Liz, who was trembling behind her still.

"And no, after behaving like a jerk, you're not allowed to have any coffee until I'm no longer pissed off at you."

With that Esme grabbed Liz's hand and began to drag her away to her room. "Stay in here, don't you even think of even tasting that coffee," she said firmly before shoving Liz into the room and slamming the door behind her. A muffled conversation between Esme and Liz occurred behind the closed door. Liz was clearly very upset and Esme was trying her best to explain the events as they happened that night. About an hour later Esme emerged from the room, looking severely annoyed and giving K'ylenthar a glare.

She approached him and looked directly into his eyes, "Liz is my friend, so I'd like for you to not purposefully terrorize her. If you swear you'll behave nicely, you can try the coffee, though it's just what we've brewed at home, nothing like what the coffee shops can make. And since I can't leave you here alone with Liz, you'll have to come with me to handle some personal business."

 

[Tarmagon]

"You went beyond what was necessary, y'know? I also don't appreciate you making threats, especially after you swore on - what was it - on pain of consequences you not act against my interests. Well that whole transformy thing is currently against my interests, so I'd prefer if you refrained from doing it again unless it's absolutely needed, which in this modern era I doubt it is."

K'ylenthar kept a hold on his temper, staring impassively as Esme let loose with her little tirade. She was going to have to learn, and quickly, that not acting against her interests did not compel him to be suicidal. Also, she was going to need to consider his interests, which at the current moment, were survival and evading discovery.

"And no, after behaving like a jerk, you're not allowed to have any coffee until I'm no longer pissed off at you. Stay in here, don't you even think of even tasting that coffee."

With that rejoinder, Esme drove Liz before her into another room, shutting the door behind them. Nearly an hour later Esme emerged alone.

"Liz is my friend, so I'd like for you to not purposefully terrorize her. If you swear you'll behave nicely, you can try the coffee, though it's just what we've brewed at home, nothing like what the coffee shops can make. And since I can't leave you here alone with Liz, you'll have to come with me to handle some personal business."

K'ylenthar frowned, keeping his temper in check by a thin margin. Using a meditation technique to calm his breathing and still his mind, he decided that some things just could not be.

"No, I will not swear to behave nicely, " he said coldly. "If you do not approve of my carrying out your wishes in a way that accomplishes your desires while simultaneously protecting my person, then you will have to be more precise in your desires, and YOU will be the one who pays the toll of magic. Given your current state, I rather doubt that you will find that, pleasant."

Holding up a hand to forestall the explosion he was sure was coming, K'ylenthar continued speaking with a cold, analytical voice.

"You made your intentions plain last evening. You intended to expose my nature to Liz. That was your right. I rather believe that my display of telekinesis, coupled with my transformation, accomplished your desire. As to making threats, I challenge you to review my words and tell me exactly where I directly threatened your roommate. I made vague comments about things happening when I get upset. That is quite true. As to Liz, no, I could not harm her, UNLESS she was to commit an act that threatened my existence. Such as exposing my presence through thoughtless comments about her roommate summoning a demon. So, yes, I chose to do something you do not approve of. In doing so, I may well have prevented having to do something I would find distasteful, and you would find even more upsetting. Remember this well Esme, I am NOT of this world! One of your doctors would be dumbfounded by my innards. Your scientists would love to study me. Your government would love to weaponize me. Witches of this world would seek to use me for their own gain. I may be bound to serve your interests, but you are also bound to serve mine. That means keeping my presence hidden. I rather doubt that you wish me to place a geas upon Liz never to speak of me, and I do not take memories without permission, even if you hadn't already made your thoughts on that plain. So, what would you have had me do?! I do not know Liz. Hellfire, I don't even know YOU, but I have to trust you with my very life. My consolation is that you must trust me with yours. I do not wish to be at odds with you, but you must understand that your choices and actions will affect us both, even as mine will."

Folding his hands in front of him, K'ylenthar made no move towards the coffee, or towards Esme. He just looked at her with expectant eyes.

Fable
(Rut roh. She pushed a button.)

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(I thought he was gonna be much angrier, lol.)

Esme had a feeling she was treading dangerously close to pissing off K'ylenthar. She'd gone off on him, left, and then came back and continued right where she had left off, though not nearly as heated as before. He had threatened pretty much her only friend and she was not going to let him behave in such a way towards Liz. His frown made her feel a little on edge as she still had issues in trusting him, and after his transformation, she was reminded of what exactly he was; a demon. The fear that had slowly began to subside and returned with that visible reminder.

"No, I will not swear to behave nicely. If you do not approve of my carrying out your wishes in a way that accomplishes your desires while simultaneously protecting my person, then you will have to be more precise in your desires, and YOU will be the one who pays the toll of magic. Given your current state, I rather doubt that you will find that, pleasant."

Esme's eyes narrowed at his tone, obviously displeased and more than ready to get into this argument they were charging into. She remained silent as he spoke, though her eyes never left their direct gaze at him. Her anger brewed inside of her as he spoke, waiting to be released when the time arrived for her say her piece. Once he was done speaking, she licked her lips and adjusted her stance slightly so she appeared taller, not slouched over or cowering.

"Your display went too far. Scaring my friend into believing you are what you are doesn't help. Oh, and to review your words, here when someone says 'You wouldn't want to make me upset' is a threat! Did you ever consider that she might have been more receptive of your presence had you not decided to transform into that bestial form? You assumed she would go around telling everyone about you, yet to don't know a single thing about her. What would be the benefit from her telling someone about you? She'd be mocked and called crazy, and as much as she lacks in her taste in guys, she does have some common sense not to go around raving to people her roommate summoned a demon."

Esme inhaled trying to keep herself from going all out into screaming at him. Her body was tense and her arms moved to pressed against her sides as she really just wanted to slap some sense into him.

"Do you really think I want go around announcing you exist?" she started once more through clenched teeth.

"You're not the only person who would have to deal with consequences if anyone was actually bothered to believe you even do exist. I'd be dragged right with you into that mess and you know it just as you said yourself. So don't fucking act like you're the only one whose self-interests should be protected. Based on the stupid Pact thing you've explained, we're trapped together in this mess, and you are making it very fucking hard to even consider trusting you in any way. You want my trust? Apologize to Liz you'll prove you're not a complete asshole, and that isn't a command or a wish, that is entirely up to you to decide on. I am not asking you to trust her, but I figured you would have at least had been civil when you met her."

 

[Tarmagon]

K'ylenthar snorted at Esme's choice of words.

"Civil?" he asked. "By the standards of which world? Hell, by the standards of which TIME?!"

Reigning in his temper before he said something that could not be unsaid, K'ylenthar decided to try again. Esme had to understand just how deep the waters they were both swimming in were, and how full of sharks. Taking a deep breath, he composed himself to calm and tried his best to explain, pitching his voice so it would not carry into the other room.

"I am taking things out of order here," he said, his voice level and calm despite the inner turmoil he was experiencing. "But I will try to make my thoughts known in a more orderly fashion. First, should you think she will actually accept it as truth, I shall apologize to Liz for my choice of actions. As to civility, by the standards of the world upon which I was born, and have lived since mankind huddled in caves fearing the thunder of a storm, my actions were formidably restrained. Most from my world would have killed her outright, and the rest would have tampered with her mind, never-mind your wishes. And no, by the definitions of the Pact, that would not be acting against your interests, since such an action could be interpreted as protecting us both. By your own human definitions of centuries past, imprisoning her until she gave an oath on pain of death would not have been unreasonable."

Holding up a finger to forestall Esme, K'ylenthar continued quietly.

"It is true, I cannot harm Liz now, but when I first appeared here, I was under no such constraints. I chose not to, despite centuries of hard won lessons. I know this does little to win your trust, but it should speak to my nature and restraint. As to my interests, I do not know how to make you understand that they are our interests. Think on this for a moment. We are bound by a force you are barred from using, and that I, for all my centuries of experience with, barely understand the rules of. You are a witch, and have been since birth. The power passes through blood, so your mother must be a witch, or at the very least your grandmother. Someone knew you had power, and bound it away from you. People in this world know of my kind, how do you think that a random grimoire your friend just happened to find had a working spell to summon me here? Oh, and do you think that the person who set that binding upon you would not have a messenger spell built into it, so they would know if it activated? Who did that to you, and why?"

Pausing for a moment, K'ylenthar studied Esme's face, but couldn't tell if his words were making an impression. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a head poking out from the room Esme and Liz had retreated into, but he made no sign. Suddenly, the whole of his situation struck him as it had not the night before, making him tremble in reaction, and with that realization came understanding. Before he could stop himself, his mouth opened and a torrent of words poured out.

"Dammit Esme," he said, the trembling of his limbs carrying into his voice which was rising without his volition. "Don't you fucking get it? I'm terrified of this world you've called me into. The last time I was here was your year 1648. You people had muskets and pikes for pity's sake. Now, according to the knowledge you gave me, your criminals carry weapons that could kill me before I knew I was in danger. And that says nothing of your police and military. I don't have any modern ID, no modern money, and no damned clue how you people act today. And you get pissy with me when I react in ways that have kept me alive for longer than this country has existed? It's like you being thrown into the middle of a jungle after being taught nothing but the language of the native people. No customs, no mores, and only the clothes on your back. So, yes. I'm sorry I scared you and your friend, but cut me some freakin slack here would you?!"

Fable
(Well, you made the big, bad demon realize that he's actually scared of the modern world.)

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(Oh no, a weakness! Excuse the errors, my computer restarted when I was making dinner.. ... T_T)

Esme was worried this heated exchange was going to affect Liz since it wasn't hard for the sound to carry throughout the apartment. Having her hear Esme's tone probably wasn't making her feel any safer right now either. It was hard for Esme to stay calm in this situation though, as hard as she was trying to not degrade down to verbal attacks towards K'ylenthar, she couldn't guarantee she wouldn't get set off into a rage. He had pushed one of her buttons, he had - in her mind - threatened her friend. She did manage to keep her mouth shut as he spoke, though it was a struggle.

"Dammit Esme. Don't you fucking get it? I'm terrified of this world you've called me into. The last time I was here was your year 1648. You people had muskets and pikes for pity's sake. Now, according to the knowledge you gave me, your criminals carry weapons that could kill me before I knew I was in danger. And that says nothing of your police and military. I don't have any modern ID, no modern money, and no damned clue how you people act today. And you get pissy with me when I react in ways that have kept me alive for longer than this country has existed? It's like you being thrown into the middle of a jungle after being taught nothing but the language of the native people. No customs, no mores, and only the clothes on your back. So, yes. I'm sorry I scared you and your friend, but cut me some freakin slack here would you?!"

If Esme hadn't been so pissed off at him, she might have applauded his use of modern cussing. She hadn't expected to see the tall male tremble out of fear of her society. Sure, it was extremely dangerous, one push of a button from a country with nuclear weapons would be devastating to the world. Death was a lucrative business, so weapons and warfare were constantly changing. That's just the way this world was. Based on his appearance when he first arrived and the whole 'demon' thing, she expected him to be immortal, so him fearing death was strange to her.

Esme sighed deeply after he had finished speaking finally. Her body language still clearly showed her agitation, but she was trying to cool off before she spoke. He was exhausting her mentally. This whole thing was. She went into the kitchen and made a cup of coffee and set it on the counter before leaning against the one opposite of it. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked over at K'ylenthar, scanning him with her eyes as she tried to understand.

"Liz was the one who bought the book that I read from in the first place. While deep down she probably didn't ever believe this kind of stuff could exist, she always hoped it did. Could you imagine finding out something you hoped for actually turned into something alarming? I'm not saying she's into that Satanic kind of crap or anything, but that she really wished magic was real. At this point I don't even know if she'll be in the same room as you since she'd worried you'd change into that other form again. I'll leave it up to you if you want to apologize to her or not, but you basically scared probably the one person who probably would have idolized you."

She adjusted her shirt slightly, realizing she probably looked horrible as she had literally jumped out of bed as soon as she realized what was going on in the living room. She had bedhead and rumpled clothes.

"As far as civility, you have to learn modern societal norms and I have no idea how to do that. I also don't want a repeat of what happened last night. The only solution I can think of is you observing how people interact with each other, but then again... you might pick up on the wrong types of social interactions doing that. Ugh, why is this so damn complicated?" She groaned as she ran her hands over her face as she tried to work out some sort of compromise the two of them could agree to.

"Look, you don't have a reason to be scared, or at least you shouldn't focus on that because if all of us humans did that, we'd either all sink into horrible depression or never leave our homes. Which even then, as the saying goes, most deaths are caused by household accidents anyway. That probably doesn't help, uhm. Don't think that everyone is out to get you, because no one believes in demons and magic and stuff, not really. You have people like Liz who are into that kind of stuff, but the chances of a cop looking at you as you are now, they wouldn't think you were any different from anyone else... except that maybe you were rich."

"As far as me being a witch and someone in my family being one as well, along with that Sealing thing, right now I can only really handle one issue at a time. I've not forgotten about that ordeal, it's literally seared into my memory, and I'll get to that when I get to it. You want slack? I want some slack here too. You've got shit to figure out and so do I. However, seeing as you're in this world, making sure you don't act out of place needs to be resolved first. Can you at least agree to that much?"

 

[Tarmagon]

"Liz?" K'ylenthar called out. "I know you've been listening at the door for at least part of this, so I know you can hear me. I'm sorry I reacted as I did. The only reason I can give you, is that behavior such as that is a hard learned survival lesson on my world. That is not an excuse, merely a reason. I understand if you do not wish to be in my presence, and I shall try to minimize my impact upon your life. I do ask that you give Esme the book, or myself. Things such as that are dangerous, and removing that danger from your life would be a small start to redressing the discomfort I have caused."

Turning back to Esme, he shrugged slightly, having no idea how the other woman would possibly react.

"It is the best I can do," he said apologetically. "As to how to act and react, I agree that figuring that out should be a top priority for me. You can't give me that knowledge, and I rather doubt that Liz would agree to have any magic, not matter how innocuous, cast on her by me, so she's not going to be able to give me understanding. We are going to have a potential problem with my moving about outside however. Outside the walls of my home, everyone I meet is a potential threat. That is just the way my world works. Here, my mind may know that most people here don't, how do you say, 'give a shit?' about me, but my instincts are another matter. If I'm startled badly enough, or actually threatened, I am quite certain that I will react as I would on my world. The consequences of that could range from minor up to dire, and that would not serve our interests in the slightest."

Leaning on the counter, K'ylenthar continued to speak, ticking points of on his fingers, his face falling as the difficulties multiplied in his mind.

"I must find a place to stay. As you say, Liz will want nothing to do with me, and I don't want to make her life uncomfortable. You've made it quite plain I've already done irreparable harm there, so I don't want to compound it. That takes money, identification, and a probably many other things I just don't have. I could manufacture identification, but until I understand your 'computers' I don't have a clue how to make it stand up under a check. I could copy your money flawlessly, but that won't work long term. All of the 'serial numbers?' would be the same, and your law enforcement looks for that, yes? I know about phones, but as you know have no idea how to use one. I know of cars, but have never seen one."

K'ylenthar's stomach chose that moment to grumble loudly, startling them both with its intensity.

"I don't even know how to prepare your modern food," he said ruefully. "And that is fast becoming a problem."

Fable
(In his world, it was nearly lunchtime. He hasn't eaten in over a day by his schedule.)

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(Lol, writing so much just about cooking eggs, pft.)

Esme flinched slightly as K'ylenthar called out to apologize to Liz, she hadn't meant for him to shout it at a distance, but rather face to face. She shook her head slightly and closed her eyes for a moment trying to stay patient with him. He didn't know any better, or at least that was what she was trying to convince herself with right now. Liz would just have to be given time and maybe hopefully they could at least be calm in each other's presence. For now, Liz was probably going to wait till he left before daring to venture out from the bedroom.

She watched as he counted off the various problems they were currently facing and wanted to raise her hands up in a motion telling him to just stop. If they were to list of everything right now, it would just become too overwhelming for both of them and wouldn't actually help with those problems. It wasn't as though she was going to ignore everything, but rather than trying to cover everything at once, just small steps at a time would probably be best. She knew that if information was just given without the correct pace it could lead to misunderstanding, a high chance of forgetting what was explained, and just plain confusing.

"Just, chill for a moment. I get we have a ton to do, but we'll deal with it as it comes up. We could be stuck here all day going over all the potentials and still never finish listing them off. So, first issue is food. Drink the coffee. If you don't like it, just spit it out into the sink and not all over the floor. If you make a mess, you're cleaning it up, which you probably have a basic concept of as of last night."

Esme went to the fridge and opened it, taking a quick look at its contents and trying to figure out what he could eat. There wasn't much since they needed to go grocery shopping, so he'd just have to eat what they had and hope he didn't get sick. She needed to teach him something simple. Eggs. Scrambled eggs was easy enough.

"Here we have three meals a day, well, we're supposed to at least. Breakfast in the morning, lunch at noon, and dinner in the evening. And I swear if you tell me you already know this I am going to throw an egg at your head," she said as she pulled out the egg carton and set it on the counter.

"Not sure how you want to learn, whether by watching me or having me also explain it," she sighed. She pulled a bowl out of one of the cabinets and then a fork from the drawer where they kept the silverware. She took two eggs and cracked them open on the side of the bowl and released the contents inside of it. She used the fork to quickly scramble the eggs. She grabbed some salt and pepper and lightly seasoned them. She set down the seasonings on the counter closest to K'ylenthar.

"Salt and pepper. Don't taste them directly, you'll regret it. Just take a sniff since maybe you have something similar."

Esme went through the motions of cooking scrambled eggs, placing two servings on separate plates. She didn't wait for K'ylenthar to eat first, she just stood there and casually ate the breakfast food and watching him curiously.

"We should probably consider calling you by another name while you are here. K'ylenthar isn't exactly a normal name, and while there are some strange ones out there, it'd just be easier and less... conspicuous."

 

[Tarmagon]

K'ylenthar kept his thoughts to himself, instead picking up the cup of coffee and sipping cautiously. Hunh. It appeared that the humans had made great strides in breeding and preparing the brew. A trifle weaker than he remembered, but the flavor was more complex.

"This has certainly improved with the passage of time," he commented. "It seems not all changes are for the poorer."

He watched Esme operate the stove with some interest. Now he could put the information in his mind into the proper context. He was hard pressed to keep from letting loose with a sharp rejoinder at the rather insulting way she was treating him, after all it was social skills he needed, not cooking skills, but she was trying, so he held his tongue. After all, she didn't know any better, and they were both feeling their way into this situation.

When Esme placed a plate of eggs before him, he added what she would certainly think an extraordinary amount of pepper to them, then are them as quickly as he could without bolting them. Despite his haste and hunger, Esme finished first, watching him as he finished.

"We should probably consider calling you by another name while you are here. K'ylenthar isn't exactly a normal name, and while there are some strange ones out there, it'd just be easier and less... conspicuous."

Nodding at he words, K'ylenthar took his plate, as well as Esme's and the flatware, to the sink and began to wash them. A few moments later, the pan she had cooked in joined the other items in the sink.

"What?" he said, catching the look on Esme's face. "You cooked. I should clean. After all, I don't think you have servants to do such things."

As he worked, K'ylenthar thought about Esme's last words. Even a portion of his true name free in the world would be risky, and he had been so careful in his other visits. None of the names he had used before would be suitable for this day and age, so...

"What about, Kyle?" he asked as he looked for a place to set the dishes to dry. "It is more suited to today than any of the other names I have used in my visits to this world, but is close enough to my real name that I won't have to remake myself within my mind."

Fable
(And so Kyle is born...maybe)

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(Kyle, the modern day demon. When/If he goes back to his own world, he'll have a bit of an advantage being exposed to so much.)

Esme didn't reply in response to K'ylenthar's comment about the coffee, she was honestly more amazed they even had such a thing. Looking at him the way he was now, you wouldn't think he was different than a human. Her curiosity was starting to emerge about the differences that existed. She'd probably learn it over time from whatever he would vocally compare to things from where he was. Obviously he lived in a much more violent society if he viewed everything as a threat. They didn't have the same technology, and he said the last time he was here was around the 1600s. So perhaps what they had available there was comparable to the technology of that time.

When he had taken her plate and started cleaning up, she was genuinely shocked. She had expected him to stare at her while she did that since he did come off as a bit high-and-mighty at times. She raised her hands up showing she wasn't going to argue against his actions.

"Kyle would work. It's common enough and much easier for me to say anyway. Though if we're creating a name for you, you'd also need some sort of surname. The most common one I think is Smith which would work well in your favor, since if anyone did decide to bother looking into your non-existent background they would be faced with many results of people of the same name."

Esme stretched her arms up, trying to work out the stiffness of her limbs. Jerking awake wasn't the best condition to wake up. She'd already taken a shower last night, though he hadn't. He wasn't dirty, so he'd survive a day since he probably didn't want to share flowery-smelling bath products.

"That would at least be the first step to also figuring out how to get you some sort of fake ID. There is no way I can afford nor do I even know how to actually obtain that kind of illegal stuff, so you can't just maybe conjure one up? You can pretty much find the specifications online anyway."

She moved over to her bedroom where Liz was still hiding in, she knocked on the door and opened it cautiously. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her. She informed Liz she was going to bring in 'Kyle' and Liz has the choice to stay or go. Esme did encourage her to try and at least stay in the room, but that she could leave at any time. Liz nodded from her position on the bed that she would stay, saying she felt it would be safer for Esme ultimately as well.

"Well, she's not fleeing for her life from the idea of you coming into the room. Just, ignore her as best as you can since if you look at her, she might freak out," Esme said as she peeked out from the bedroom. She opened the door wider and then left it open as she went back inside. She sat down at the small desk in the room that held her laptop. She opened it and waited for it to boot up.

"Pretty much everyone has some sort of device that connects to the internet. As much as I dislike the idea of teaching you how to use the computer and the internet, it's pretty much the easiest way to access desired information. Just, don't believe everything you read on the internet."

 

[Tarmagon]

K'ylenthar...no, he must start to think of himself as Kyle while he was on this world, moved very slowly into the room, ignoring the young woman trembling on the bed. He knew his combat form was more intimidating that his current body, but surely it was nothing to warrant this type of reaction. On his own world, it wasn't very impressive at all compared to some of the forms the more powerful Lords assumed. He wanted to reassure the young woman that she had nothing to fear from him, but Esme's warning about her state was fresh in his mind, so he kept his gaze away from her, moving so that Esme's body was between Liz and himself.

"May I see your ID?" he asked quietly.

After a few moments rummaging, Esme produced a small square of a shiny material, plastic, his new knowledge informed him, with her photo and a plethora of information. Picking it up, he turned it over and over in his hands, noting that it was actually several materials sandwiched together and sealed in plastic. After a moment, he set it down beside the laptop and made a request of Esme.

"Can you please show me information about this DMV?" he asked, saying the odd initials carefully, making certain he was clear. "I think that producing the physical item will present no major difficulty, it is the 'supporting documents?' that will be more difficult."

Esme's fingers flashed across the keyboard and information began to appear on the faintly glowing screen. Kyle soon noticed that certain words looked different, and when Esme clicked, what an odd choice of words, on them, new information presented itself for review. Birth certificates, proof of address, proof of residency, social security number... the list went on and on. Still, not insurmountable, just challenging. Creating the documents weren't the problem, getting them into the electronic records was going to be...hmmmm.

Esme looked confused when he asked to see articles about electronic records, computer programming, and networks, but she entered his requests dutifully. The information he needed was there, but this was so slow. After half an hour Esme was starting to look a little put out at the odd requests, and Kyle made a decision.

"I think I understand enough to create a passable ID for myself," he said. "If you would return to the DMV page, then kindly step away, I will attempt to do so."

When Esme looked like she would object, Kyle smiled gently.

"I will be casting several spells in quick succession," he said, just loud enough so that Liz would have no trouble hearing. "Given your, condition, I do not think you should be within arms length while I do so. May I use the contents of that refuse bin as raw materials?"

Esme nodded, then reluctantly moved to join Liz on the bed. Kyle took a healthy handful of garbage and set it beside the laptop, right beside Esme's ID, then stilled his mind.

"Things are going to look a little, odd, around me." he said quietly. "Please do not approach until... well, it will be obvious when it's done."

With that Kyle called upon his power, as well as all he could pull from his surroundings. He carefully excluded the two women from his reaching field, not wanting to harm either of them. Esme would react poorly, he was sure, and he hadn't had a chance to examine Liz for Power, and did not want to take any chances with her safety either. When he judged he had enough, he began to cast.

From the perspective of the two women sitting on the bed, nothing happened for several long moments, then a bubble of faint, bluish light formed around Kyle and the desk the laptop rested on. Then Kyle began to move, but not normally. He seemed to rush about the bubble defined by the glimmering radiance, as though he were a character on a time-lapse film. The screen of the laptop seemed to flicker and flash, one image forming before the previous one had fully faded away. The pile of debris began to, melt, flowing outward like melting wax, then suddenly gathering itself into a rectangle identical to Esme's drivers license.

Within the bubble of accelerated time, Kyle was quite busy. He had watched carefully as Esme worked her own kind of magic using the laptop and internet, and now he followed link after link, casting and recasting Knowing. The knowledge he gained this way wouldn't last as Esme's gift would, but within his bubble, it would last long enough. For just seconds, Kyle became one of the planet's best hackers. Records appeared in databases, backed up by scans of wholly fictitious documents that would stand up to all electronic inspections. The hard-copies would never be found, but that could be attributed to human error. The pile of junk he disassembled into its component parts, transmuting them into the forms he needed. A drivers license that would pass any regular check assembled itself under his mind's urging, taking form even as his power bled away.

"Done," was his last, conscious thought.

From outside the bubble, Kyle seemed to freeze in place, then the bubble of light burst, much as a soap bubble that had reached the end of its lifespan, and Kyle slumped bonelessly to the floor, only the steady movement of his chest betraying the fact that he still lived.

Fable
(Twice in 24 hours he's had to exhaust himself. Be he wakes up hungry.)

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(He is gonna want a vacation from all this spell-casting soon. Not sure when he is going to wake up or what part of the conversation he'll hear.)

Esme was very hesitant about letting Kyle cast any magic. While she wasn't going to be directly involved, she was worried that whatever link they had would result in her still being affected. However, this needed to be done or it would result in problems later on. She didn't know how he was going to get himself into a directory to make himself seem like a legitimate citizen, but she would just have to hope that what he did would work, at least long enough until he got sent back to where he came from and they could both go back to their own lives.

She sat on the bed next to Liz to observe Kyle. Liz latched onto Esme's arm, clearly still bothered by Kyle's presence and with the announcement of doing magic, she probably thought he was going to transform again. Esme gave Liz's hand a small pat and told her friend to remember to breathe. As Kyle began his magical workings, Liz's grip became somewhat painful as she held on so tight her knuckles were turning white, but Esme remained silent on it. She might get left with a bruise, but if it made Liz feel just a bit more secure, it wasn't a big deal.

It was fascinating to see Kyle move about in the bubble. It was clear he was moving faster in time, probably because he needed the actual time to create a legitimate license and such. She wondered what else was possible with magic, though she tried to keep her mind from following that path, she kept coming back to the thought that magic could be useful. Her only deterrent from trying to cast any spells herself was the fact that if she tried, she'd encounter that strange seal activating again.

The bubble popped then, releasing Kyle and his body tumbling to the floor. Liz jolted and pressed herself against the wall Esme's bed was against. Esme managed to get free from Liz's grasp and her friend harshly whispered her protests as Esme went over to check on Kyle. She held her hand close to his nose and mouth and felt his warm breath against her flesh. She sighed in mild relief as she realized he was still alive. Everything looked fairly normal after being fast-forwarded through time, her laptop wasn't smoking and nothing appeared to have been destroyed.

"Liz, I need to move him onto the bed" Esme said, looking towards her friend hoping she'd offer some help. Liz stalled and sputtered a few protests, but once Esme gave her 'the look' Liz's head dropped and she unhappily went over to help Esme move Kyle. Esme was used to lifting Liz, who while still heavy, wasn't nearly the same height or mass as Kyle. Each girl wrapped one of his arms over their shoulders and lifted together to move him over to Esme's bed. He was unceremoniously flopped atop the pillow and covers and Esme moved to move his legs so he was fully resting on the mattress.

"Aren't you scared of him" Liz asked in a low whisper as Esme shoved a pillow under his head.

"When he's like this, not really, though when he changed into that other... form, I remembered he wasn't human. They kind of seem like they would belong to two different entities to me."

"I am so sorry about this Esme. This is all my fault. I bought that book and now you're attached to this," Liz said, not sure to call him a guy or a thing.

"It's not anyone's fault. Maybe now you'll stop buying those types of books though," Esme tried to joke.

"I'm sure not all the spells in that grimoire are bad. Maybe I could-"

"Liz, no. Unless you know what the hell you are doing, maybe we should just.. leave it alone. You might summon something way worse than Kyle."

"Yeeaaaaahhhhh. Kyle at least is attractive when he wants to look human, but it's hard to forgot that other side of him," Liz said with a visible shudder, "Are you really going to take him with you?"

"Not much choice. I can't leave him alone with you. We're sort of bound by this weird Pact thing and I don't know if there is some range limit as to how far we can even be from each other. I'd rather not suffer some other unknown consequence."

 

[Tarmagon]

Kyle came back to himself with the sensation of being carried. He was placed on something soft, probably the bed, but he just couldn't make his body obey him. He felt his head being lifted onto something soft, then a soft murmur of voiced penetrated the blackness.

"Aren't you scared of him?"

"When he's like this, not really, though when he changed into that other... form, I remembered he wasn't human. They kind of seem like they would belong to two different entities to me."

There was more that registered on his mind, but exhaustion tugged at him, making it hard to process everything he was hearing. Something else penetrated the lethargy though, and when next Liz spoke he had to force himself to answer.

"Yeeaaaaahhhhh. Kyle at least is attractive when he wants to look human, but it's hard to forgot that other side of him. Are you really going to take him with you?"

"Not much choice. I can't leave him alone with you. We're sort of bound by this weird Pact thing and I don't know if there is some range limit as to how far we can even be from each other. I'd rather not suffer some other unknown consequence."

"No...consequences..." he managed to croak out, cracking one eye open a slit. "You...me...distance...no effect."

Kyle tried to lever himself up on an arm, but he couldn't do more than fully open his eyes and turn his head slightly, the rest of his body still was beyond his ability.

"I'm sorry Esme," he said quietly. "I seem to have exhausted myself yet again. But, I have managed to fabricate an ID for myself."

He managed to flick a finger at the desk where a second rectangle now rested beside Esme's.

"If you can postpone your trip out for an hour or so, I should be recovered physically, but magically...I am spent." he said with a little more strength. "And, may I please have a glass of water? I would get one myself, but..."

This time he managed to lift one arm up off the bed and waggle his hand for a moment before letting it flop back down.

"And, thank you. Thank you both, for putting me here after I collapsed."

Fable
(At least he's got ID now. And yes, Esme's got the idea of magic his magic right. He has to expend the energy as though he were performing the entire act.)